Disneyland Photo Report: May 2016 Around the Resort

In this second Disneyland Photo Report for May 2016 (see the first here) we will take a broader look around the resort at refurbishment projects, recent openings, and of course Star Wars Land construction.

The Jungle Cruise has reopened following several months of closure. Most notably the attraction received a new safety system for loading and unloading. The new Frozen musical is also ready for this weekend’s grand opening, Grad Nite celebrations are in full swing, and the descent of the summer “season” crowds are just a few days away.

Jungle Cruise

Since our last Disneyland Photo Report, the Jungle Cruise has reopened. During it’s months-long closure, the Jungle Cruise received some minor refurbishment, and a new loading and unloading system. The system is so well integrated into the attraction that it will go unnoticed to most Disneyland guests. In recent years Disneyland has been trying to increase awareness of safety concerns when guests step onto, and off of the Jungle Cruise boats. Since the attraction’s opening, each boat needed to be tied to the dock as guests were helped out of, and into the boats by cast members. This would cause the boats to move as guests shifted their weight while on the boats. This would at times create a gap which caused tripping and falling concerns. The new design involves a rail and guided wheeled system that prevents this gap from appearing. It also holds the boats more stable as guests move. As a result, cast members no longer need to tie the boats to the docks.

The new system is well implemented and hardly noticeable to most guests, just the way it should be done.

Disneyland is known to have plenty of cats roaming the backstage grounds. Below a cat is seen standing guard on the stairway to the Fantasyland Skyway Chalet.

Around the Resort

In Tomorrowland, the restrooms near the exit for Space Mountain remained closed. They are being expanded into some of the space used for the old Starcade next door. We may perhaps see Disneyland’s response to the inclusive restroom trend here. The space next door is rather large, and it will be interesting to see if Disney creates smaller, single roomed restrooms for all to use. Disneyland does have at least one other restroom that is designed in this way. Labeled a “family restroom”, the large, single use restroom is located in A Bug’s Land at Disney California Adventure. The restroom was installed to make it easy for parents to change their little ones after playing in the nearby fountains.

It should be noted that this is speculation at this point, but the need for such a large restroom expansion is intriguing. We will of course keep and eye on this for future updates.

A significant portion of the old Starcade is walled off for the restroom expansion.

With Tarzan’s Treehouse closed, the entire bridge over Pirates of the Caribbean is being utilized for the queue line. The summer crowds have been in play for sometime now and these two photos really showcase the long lines seen at attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean in recent weeks. These photos were captured on a Tuesday afternoon!

The Kellogg’s truck, which first appeared as part of the California Adventure original area of Bountiful Valley Farms, has been placed in the Pacific Wharf area near Boudin Bakery. This brings DCA’s vehicle count up to four!

Grad Nite arrivals are being processed through a backstage area between Cars Land and the Hollywood Tower Hotel. I believe this is a new practice for 2016 and it should alleviate some of the main entrance gate traffic on Grad Nites. See all Grad Nite dates for 2016 here.

“Frozen Live at the Hyperion” is set for it’s grand opening this weekend. (actually the day of this article’s publication). We will have an in depth look and some awesome photos to share with you in the next week.

The characters from Disney’s Zootopia are meeting with guests near the Hyperion Theater. By this weekend their location has most likely moved due to the grand opening of Frozen Live at the Hyperion.

Across the way, Spider Man and Captain America are meeting with guests.

The Muppet 3D Theater is currently showing an exclusive sneak peek of Alice Through the Looking Glass.

Out in Downtown Disney, work on the second Starbucks location is underway near the AMC Theater.

Star Wars Land Construction Update

Not a whole lot has changed since our last update. Work is progressing, although at this stage it is mostly ground preparation.

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Do we know anything about the Mine Train Thru Nature’s Wonderland tunnel that’s right next to the Rivers of America? Has that been demolished, or is it still there?

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It looks like the rocks on the bottom half of this photo show that area still in place. You can even see the archway at the very bottom of the photo. That archway is near the old petting zoo in Big Thunder Ranch.

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This photo from Andy Castro’s April 11th Dateline Disneyland shows part of the tunnel. I believe this area will remain untouched.